


Secrets and Lies

by beargirl1393



Series: Dworin Week 2k16 [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Dworin Week, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Gen, M/M, Secrets, The Dwalin/OFC is way in the past, dworin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 18:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7519579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beargirl1393/pseuds/beargirl1393
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thorin knows everything there is to know about Dwalin. But that's not strictly true...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets and Lies

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 1 of Dworin Week- Secrets. May be continued later on in Dworin Week.

There were many things that Thorin knew about Dwalin that no one else did. He knew that his partner preferred evenings to early mornings. He knew that Dwalin was fond of playing his fiddle, even if he rarely had the time to indulge anymore. He knew that Dwalin had learned engraving from his mother, and kept up the skill to honor her. There were also a lot of things that he knew about Dwalin that weren’t secrets, such as what kind of ale Dwalin preferred, his fondness for axes over swords, and the fact that he got his first tattoo as a child, immediately after Azanulbizar.

With all of that, Thorin would say that he knew Dwalin better than any dwarf living, maybe even better than Balin did. The brothers were close, but Dwalin didn’t tell Balin everything, just like Thorin didn’t tell Dís everything. Some secrets were meant to be kept from everyone except your partner.

And some secrets, as Thorin found out, were kept even from said partner.

* * *

 

“I know this is a shock,” the dwarrowdam in front of Thorin said apologetically, “But I attempted to send a message ahead of us and evidently it hasn’t arrived yet. We made better time than expected, apparently.”

Thorin just stared at the dwarrowdam, Nyr according to her introduction, and the small dwarfling by her side. Nyrin, who had her mother’s hair but whose eyes were identical to the pair he looked into each night as they fell asleep.

Nyrin, who had apparently been born fifteen years before, while Dwalin was in the Iron Hills as guard for a traveling merchant.

Thorin knew that Dwalin had no preference for gender, he looked for those who interested him to share his bed. Nyr had no lasting interest in Dwalin, and as the other dwarf had never mentioned her before, Thorin assumed that the same was true for his intended. Nyr had made the journey for one reason and one reason only. To bring Nyrin to Erebor.

“We had an arrangement, you see,” Nyr admitted. “With how often he traveled for work, it wasn’t feasible for Dwalin to take Nyrin before now. So, I would watch over her and once he had a stable home, he would take her in. I still have much I wish to accomplish in my life before I settle down, and Dwalin accepted that.”

Yes, Thorin could see Dwalin doing so, as he knew how much Dwalin had wished to be a father. It was one of the first secrets they shared once they started their relationship five years ago. Thorin had refused to begin properly courting until they reclaimed Erebor, and Dwalin had accepted that.

Now, Thorin wondered if Dwalin had his own reasons for not wanting to court until now.

“I’ll have someone show you to the guest rooms in our quarters, it will be some time before Dwalin is finished working for the day and I assume that you both wish to rest.” Especially Nyrin, as the girl looked as though she would fall asleep where she was standing. Journeys were usually hard on young dwarflings.

Nyr accepted the offer gratefully, leading her daughter  after one of the attendants and Thorin took the opportunity to escape to his office. Normally, he would have avoided the place, as he knew that Balin had dropped off more parchment that needed signing that morning, but deskwork was entirely preferable to thinking about everything that had changed in the space of an hour.

* * *

 

Deskwork only held Thorin’s attention for so long, however, and soon enough he was staring blankly at the wall, parchments and documents forgotten as he thought over what he had just learned.

_Sixteen years ago, ten years before they had started dating, Dwalin had accepted a job guarding a caravan making for the other dwarven settlements, ending in the Iron Hills before they turned around and returned to Ered Luin._

_Sixteen years ago, Dwalin had spent a night in the bed of a dwarrowdam named Nyr while he had free time before the caravan left._

_Sixteen years ago, the caravan had been unaccountably delayed, forcing them to stay in the Iron Hills for over a year longer than they had anticipated._

Dwalin’s daughter had been born shortly before Dwalin returned to Erebor, if Thorin was doing the math correctly.

_Fifteen years ago, Nyrin had been born and Dwalin had returned with the caravan to Ered Luin. He set off not long afterwards, however, stating that he wanted to see if there were any jobs for him or any other dwarves in another town._

He had likely been going to visit Nyrin, Thorin now knew, but at the time he had barely suspected anything, waving Dwalin off with wishes for good luck and good health.

_Five years ago, he and Dwalin had finally began courting. One of the first secrets shared was that Dwalin had wanted a child of his own, and Thorin had pointed out the impossibility of such a thing while missing the slight guilt in his partner’s eyes._

Dwalin knew that he had a child when they began their relationship, and yet he had not told him. Thorin didn’t know why, couldn’t fathom why Dwalin would keep something of the sort a secret. It likely wasn’t guilt over sleeping with Nyr, as they had both had relations with others before they were together.

He didn’t know anything, Thorin realized. Not why Dwalin had kept Nyrin a secret, why he refused to keep her with him until after Erebor was reclaimed…why he was so certain that Thorin would manage to reclaim Erebor, so certain that he would risk his opportunity to be involved in his dwarfling’s life on it.

Thorin didn’t know anything, not about this, but he also knew that there was one guaranteed way to get answers. Nyr had explained initially, but she only knew her thoughts about the matter and whatever Dwalin had told her. There was no guarantee that Dwalin had told Balin of this, or that the old dwarf would tell him even if he did know.

If Thorin wanted to know why Dwalin had kept something so important a secret, why Dwalin had lied to him for the past five years (or fifteen, really), he would need to go to the source.


End file.
